# Fratres

Fratres (meaning "brothers" in Latin) is a musical work by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt exemplifying his tintinnabuli style of composition. It is three-part music, written in 1977, without fixed instrumentation and has been described as a "mesmerizing set of variations on a six-bar theme combining frantic activity and sublime stillness that encapsulates Pärt's observation that 'the instant and eternity are struggling within us'".

## Structure

Structurally, Fratres consists of a set of nine chord sequences, separated by a recurring percussion motif (the so-called "refuge"). The chord sequences themselves follow a pattern, and while the progressing chords explore a rich harmonic space, they have been generated by means of a simple formula.
Fratres is driven by three main voices. The low and high voice are each restricted to playing notes from the D harmonic minor scale (D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C#); the middle voice is restricted to the notes of the A minor triad (A, C, E). The entire piece is accompanied by drones in A and E, which are primarily heard in the refuge between each sequence.
The chords are created by the movement of the three voices: the low voice starts at C#; the high voice starts at E. Both the low and high voices are moved up or down the D harmonic minor scale at the same time, with the direction of the movement depending on the position within the sequence. The middle voice starts at A and plays a different pattern (A, E, E, C, C, C, C, A, A, E, E, C, C, A). The generated chords create harmonic ambiguity, since both C# and C are present, yielding an A major or A minor feel.

## Versions

Although often performed by violin and piano, versions for larger ensembles, such as a string quartet or chamber orchestra, are also common. Performances by early music specialists have also been endorsed.
Versions for ensembles include:
* chamber orchestra (1977)
* four, eight, twelve, etc. cellos (1982)
* string quartet (1989)
* winds and percussion octet (1990)
* string and percussion orchestra (1991)
* band of metal instruments (2004)
* three recorders, percussion, and cello or viola da gamba (2009)
* saxophone quartet (2010)
Versions for solo instrument and accompaniment:
* violin and piano (1980)
* cello and piano (1989)
* violin, string orchestra, and percussion (1992)
* trombone, string orchestra, and percussion (1993)
* cello, string orchestra, and percussion (1995)
* guitar, string orchestra, and percussion (2000)
* viola and piano (2003)
* four percussionists (2006)
* viola, string orchestra, and percussion (2008)

## In films

The composition has been used for many films and documentaries. Notable usages include:
* 1987: Rachel River directed by Sandy Smolan
* 1992: Sneakers directed by Phil Alden Robinson
* 1996: Mother Night directed by Keith Gordon; Fratres is performed by Tasmin Little (violin) and Martin Roscoe (piano)
* 1997: Winter Sleepers directed by Tom Tykwer
* 1999: eight-part PBS documentary New York: A Documentary Film directed by Ric Burns
* 2001: A Knight's Tale directed by Brian Helgeland,
* 2005: six-part BBC documentary Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution' produced by Laurence Rees, used the composition performed in 1997 by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conducted by Tamás Benedek
* 2006: La Morte Rouge directed by Victor Erice
* 2007: There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
* 2013: To the Wonder directed by Terrence Malick
* 2013: The Place Beyond the Pines directed by Derek Cianfrance
* 2013: Violette directed by Martin Provost
* 2015: El Club directed by Pablo Larraín
* 2017: documentary film Mountain directed by Jennifer Peedom
* 2017: Félicité directed by Alain Gomis

### In other compositions

Jazz pianist Aaron Parks incorporated elements of Fratres into his composition "Harvesting Dance," heard on his album Invisible Cinema and on Terence Blanchard's album Flow.